Poll 11 - Push Point Pencils

The Poll has closed. The poll was in conjunction with my review of the Yoropen pencil, and asked the question “Are pop-a-point pencils mechanical pencils?”
 
The options and votes were

• Yes – 23 votes (23%)
• No – 66 votes (66%)
• Not sure – 11 votes (11%)

No prize for guessing there were exactly 100 votes cast.

I admit it is not a totally black and white situation, but I personally don’t consider push-point pencils to be mechanical pencils, so this poll doesn’t give me any reason to reassess that.

The Vultures Are Always Circling

I was recently contacted by a PR Representative of OfficeMax who thought I might be interested in their newly released workplace survey on the subject of missing office supplies. Well, yes I was, and I figure you might be too.

Here’s two little snippets from the survey report.

Disappearing Act – There seems to be a lot of dwindling workspaces popping up across the nation. Eighty-one percent of employed Americans who report missing supplies from their work area say that pens, pencils, or highlighters go M.I.A. most often. Other disappearing goods include paper products (35%), paper clips or binder clips (28%), staplers (22%), and scissors (20%).

Run and Hide – So it’s not surprising that a majority (68%) of working Americans have taken matters into their own hands by finding ways to ensure their favorite provisions don’t go missing. Some keep their much-loved office paraphernalia in a special designated drawer (59%) or in a secret space in their work area (45%). Others order additional quantities of certain products to make certain they’re never low (51%) or label their supplies with their contact information (31%). More employed women than men (73% vs. 63%) report they’ve taken steps to ensure their office products don’t go missing.

I can really relate to a lot of the findings in the survey. In my office I know to watch certain people like hawks or the item they pick up will just walk away with them, and sometimes when someone quits their job and vacates their desk – well it’s like a flock of vultures descending on a fresh carcass, devouring the abandoned office supplies without having to do battle with “The Guardian of the Office Supplies Cabinet”.

Anyway, here’s the links to the News Release and the Full Report.

(Nope, they ain't payin' me!)

Yoropen Pencil Review

Yoropen Pencil Review

Is it a…mechanical pencil?

Good question. Well, it’s a pencil so lets just put definitions to one side for the moment.

My Yoropen pencil certainly gathered more than its fair share of “What’s that?” type questions from my work colleagues whilst I was using it for this review. That strange shape really catches people’s eye. Yoropen’s are available in several different models and in ballpoint pen and pencil modes. My model is the Executive pencil - it’s fairly heavy in the hand, more than you might expect, and the balance is a bit top heavy.

The Yoropen Executive Pencil comes in a rather attractive and functional case, much like the small cases for compact reading glasses (not that I am familiar with those!) The case provides excellent protection for the pencil when it is not in use. The writing tip itself is protected by a screw on plastic cover. When the pencil is in use, the screw on cover can be screwed onto the top end of the body as an interesting looking extension.

Yoropen have won a bunch of design awards and claim three main benefits for their ergonomic design – finger support, visual space and adjustable grip. The offset Z tip design also allows the writing tip to be much more vertical to the paper whilst allowing the pencil to be held at a traditionally sloped angle.

The Yoropen pencil is what is frequently called a ‘push-point’ or ‘pop-a-point’ pencil. I remember that for a year or two back in my primary school days push-point pencils were all the rage because of their easy use as blow-guns or other types of weaponry. Just to explain this ‘push-point’ business, the lead is fixed in a small plastic casing which in turn is usually held inside a tube. When the lead has worn down you remove the whole casing and replace it with a new casing. That then leads to the question, “Are push-point pencils mechanical pencils?” It’s not really advancing the lead in anyway, it’s an entire replacement of the lead, so I tend to think they aren’t mechanical pencils…but have your say in the Poll in the sidebar. (The poll is now closed, results here)

So, the Yoropen has a triangular rubber grip, as you might expect from an ergonomic type writing instrument. The rubber has a small amount of give under finger pressure and is a reasonably grippy compound so overall the grip section does work.

The grip is also twistable, so you can orientate it to suit. I imagine this might be of more use on the Yoropen pen (especially to left-handers) rather than the Yoropen Pencil. Twisting the grip takes a fair bit of effort so it is not something you would routinely change. The Z shape of the offset tip also creates a wide ‘end-stop’ for the grip which some folk may use as part of their grip.

But, and it’s a big but, that Z offset tip section and triangular grip means you cannot in any normal fashion rotate the pencil…so as your lead wears down you quickly get a chisel edge (or rather a square end since the lead is somewhat perpendicular to the paper) and you can’t rotate it…and because it’s a thick lead push-point pencil you quickly loose that fine tip and get into the thicker main body…you see where I’m heading. Basically Yoropen lays down graphite like an ordinary woodcase pencil or leadholder, but one that you cannot rotate to help keep a sharp point on. For me personally, I think the technical term is “Yurr??” That pretty much sums it up. In an effort to keep the lead sharp I often resorted to holding the Yoropen at some strange sideways angle or even ‘upside down’ when doing some lines or ticks, etc just to try and re-sharpen a bit of a point on the lead. The lead supplied in the push-points was fairly hard wearing - I would have guessed F or perhaps H grade although I believe Yoropen claim HB. In any event I think I got my moneys worth of letters out of each push-point…but it was fat lettering. “Uggg”.

Now for the bad stuff. The push-points have some small amount of wobble when seated on their holder spike. The offset tip is touted as improving vision so you can easily see what you are writing, but it makes it a little harder to intuitively position the lead precisely. So, combine that with lead wobble… some of you precision-obsessed readers out there will already be ramming your keyboard through the screen to try and blot out the horror. Oh, of course the lead is also rather noisy. I assume it’s a ceramic lead like in a woodcase pencil.

Only one push-point cartridge is held on the writing tip at a time, but more are stored in the main body – 9 to be exact, giving a total of 10 overall. You push your used cartridge into the top and a new one is pushed out of the other end which you then stick on the holder post. If you push your used one into the top end fairly forcefully the new one often shoots out the other end in a rather childishly pleasing manner.

In closing then, if you are convinced that there is a proper pencil-to-paper angle for general pencil writing purposes and that angle is relatively vertical, then the Yoropen achieves that angle. However you then find yourself in the worst of both worlds – you can’t sharpen and can’t rotate. Sure, you could replace the pop-a-points at a ridiculous rate and thus maintain a constant sharp lead, but that just seems wrong to me. Yes the Yoropen grip may well be useful for some folk with dexterity problems, and yes the offset Z tip may improve vision, but that’s at the expense of accuracy. Here I go then, flying in the face of prestigious international design awards and a truckload of user testimonials. I imagine my opinion of the Yoropen ballpoint pens might well be different, and some folk with special grip needs may find the Yoropen pencil to their liking, but for the vast majority of us the Yoropen pencil just doesn’t cut the mustard and would not be a good choice.

• Best Points – it will attract other peoples attention!

• Not So Good Points – read the review!

• Price Range – Mid/High.

• Does this pencil make it into the Top 5? - No.

Dimensions – Length 142mm excl tip cover, grip zone 14mm each side of the triangle. Balance point about 75mm up from the tip.

Poll 10 - Vanishing Point Mechanical Pencils

OK, the Poll closed a while ago.

The poll question was prompted by my review of the Paper Mate Apex mechanical pencil and was "What should we call vanishing point mechanisms".

The options and votes were:
Double Action - 4 votes (5%)
Double Push - 6 votes (8%)
Dual Action - 4 votes (5%)
Vanishing Point - 54 votes (79%)

Clearly "Vanishing Point" it is, which is certainly my prefered option. I'll make a label and apply it to applicable posts so you can click on it and see posts related to vanishing point pencils.

Such a pity that the Pilot Vanishing Point mechanical pencil is vanishing.

From The Desk - of Florida Bob

Bob from Florida recently sent in a few photos of his Rosetta 20-pen case. As you can see it’s very well stocked, a case to be reckoned with. Bob’s only problem is that his wife and other ‘artistic’ relatives keep taking a liking to the contents, and frequent replenishment expeditions are required. He’s not entirely sure whether he should be thanking me or blaming me for all the money he’s spent on pencils…he's going to decide when he’s spent some more.

Papermate Apex Mechanical Pencil Review

Papermate Apex Mechanical Pencil Review

The Papermate Apex mechanical pencil has a got a lot going for it. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, it is a member of that fairly exclusive club, the ‘Vanishing Points’. I’ve come to the conclusion that vanishing point mechanism pencils don’t actually get much press. Well, certainly not the press that I think they deserve. The Papermate website describes the Apex mechanism as “retractable”. That’s it. One word. One single word to ambiguously describe what is surely the primary marketing feature of the product? A sliding sleeve is retractable too, but that’s not the type of retractability we are talking about here.

Anyway, enough of Papermate’s marketing plans, but it does beg question - what to call pencils with that kind of retractable mechanism? A mechanism where the whole front tip section is retractable back into the barrel. The first push on the top button extends the tip section out and locks it into place. Subsequent lighter clicks then extend the lead like a ‘normal’ mechanical pencil but if you keep pushing past the first pressure stop-point then you unlock the tip and it springs back up inside the body for supreme pocket safety. So, what to call them? I cannot stand calling them ‘double knock’ pencils, the literal translation of the Japanese wording. ‘Double action’, ‘dual action’ and ‘double push’ all seem reasonable and descriptive, and have been used by some manufacturers, but surely ‘vanishing point’ sounds far more interesting and marketable? So, cast your vote on the poll in the sidebar. (The poll is now closed - see results here)

One problem I do have with vanishing point mechanisms is that many of them are designed so that when retracted the end of the lead sleeve is only just inside the barrel, and you can easily end up with lead sticking out past the end of the barrel.

A problem that some folk have with vanishing point mechanical pencils is that the retractable tip introduces another possible source of lead wobble. The amount of lead wobble you can tolerate obviously depends on your personal requirements. I generally don’t have too many problems with the amount of wobble on vanishing points, and the Papermate Apex is no exception, but there is of course more wobble than on a good quality rigid sliding sleeve or fixed sleeve pencil.

In the hand the Apex is a medium weight pencil and a little top heavy. Well it feels a little top heavy, no doubt thanks to the twist out eraser cartridge, but objective measurement of the balance point doesn’t entirely back me up. The grip is a dimpled rubber piece. The compound is quite hard and doesn’t really move under finger pressure, but at least the compound is reasonably grippy.

The pocket clip is strong chromed steel, quite springy, with ‘Papermate’ and ‘Japan’ stamped into it. The only other markings on the mechanical pencil are ‘Apex’, the lead diameter and the Papermate double-hearts printed on the barrel.

Up at the top end of the pencil we have a twist out eraser. The top of the twist out cartridge has a knurled chromed ring which adds a touch of class to the whole thing. The eraser is one of the thin diameter types, with the eraser core being just under 4mm diameter and having about 28mm of usable length.

The eraser cartridge is also the push top button that activates the lead advance mechanism. Whilst one big click will extend or retract the vanishing point mechanism, ten more modest clicks will get you 6mm of 0.7mm lead. You pull the whole eraser cartridge out of the main body to access the lead refill chamber underneath.

Overall then I’m pretty positive about the Papermate Apex, but somehow this pencil just doesn’t grab me, to me it just doesn’t look right. It’s the grip. The Apex has got some great features like the vanishing point mechanism and the twist out eraser, and it’s a good pencil, but for me, the grip…it’s just such a negative. Obviously many will disagree, but visual styling is a matter of personal taste and that matt black grip as part of a long straight otherwise glossy and metallic barrel…it just doesn’t fit. Maybe if the grip was a different diameter to the body, or contoured, but as just a long matt black dimpled continuation of the line of the barrel, it’s just doesn’t look good to me. Sorry. Anyway, I don’t want to end this review on a negative, so I’ll be positive - if you like the look of the Papermate Apex mechanical pencil, then buy it.

• Best Points – Vanishing point mechanism.
• Not So Good Points – For me, the grip just spoils the whole aesthetic look of the pencil.
• Price Range – Low.
• Does this pencil make it into the Top 5? - No.

Dimensions – Length 136mm, diameter 9mm. Balance point about 65mm up from the tip.